


Never Out of Fear

by wickedorin



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: AU, Gen, Sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2013-05-09
Packaged: 2017-12-15 05:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written as a fill for a drabble request on AwaitingMassProduction: "Could  we have some more from Big Sis and Argente together? Maybe Big Sis has a  bit of a crush? (or at least a desire to ass-grab?)"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Out of Fear

**Author's Note:**

> I've made an awful lot of assumptions about Nathan. Generally speaking, you don’t become that confident unless you’ve survived a few wounds along the way.

It wasn’t exactly the _sound_ that announced Nathan’s arrival; it was more the lack thereof. Instead of the usual clang of the bell against the cafe’s door, it was only a soft tinkle. The sound of his heels as he approached was louder. “Sorry I’m a bit late, sweetie.”  
  
Argente smiled, still a little nervous to have been waiting alone. The nervousness was easing quickly, at least. “Oh. n-no. I’m sure you’re right on time.”  
  
“You do make your Big Sis happy, you know that?” Laughing, Nathan sat across from the younger man and took a glance at the menu.  
  
He laughed along, managing even to blush a little. “I didn’t want to order until you got here…”  
  
“How polite of you. Anything look good?”  
  
Taking up his own menu again, Argente admitted, “Everything looks good. I’m… not sure that I like coffee, though.”  
  
“Well, they do have tea here.” Nathan pointed out, narrowing down his choices. “High quality, loose leaf. Brewed right up front there, while you watch.”  
  
“I’m not even sure what any of that means.” The clone admitted, nervousness sinking in again.  
  
But the Hero wasn’t about to let it ruin their little “lunch date”. He’d asked Argente out for a perfectly innocent, friendly little meet-up since Kurou was going to be busy in the lab, nothing more. Of course it _was_ a shame that he’d been too late to oh so secretly admire that ass before it was hidden by a chair. “For you, I’d say… hm. Go for the blueberry lemon tea. And maybe something not _too_ sweet to go with it.”  
  
Looking over the list of “treats to pair with tea”, nothing seemed to stand out to him. Then again, everything looked good to start with. “I’m not really sure how to tell that, either…”  
  
Nathan smiled softly at the hesitation. “Well, these vanilla creme cookies are a good match, I think. Not too sweet, just a tiny hint of citrus…”  
  
At least that much was decided. Though… “Shouldn’t I be thinking more of lunch than dessert?”  
  
“Well if that’s how you want to do things, sweetie.” Nathan winked, putting his menu down. “Everything here is good.”  
  
That wasn’t quite as helpful as Argente had hoped. Still, the pasta fresca with grilled chicken looked too good to resist, the note about all of the ingredients being from local sources a bit intriguing. Fresh things… he remembered Kurou explaining Mrs. Kaburagi’s garden, and he wondered. Growing things might be interesting.  
  
“Still with me sweetie?” Nathan teased.  
  
“Oh, sorry. Just… I wonder how hard it is to grow things. Vegetables and things.” Argente admitted.  
  
“Now that’s interesting. Are you moving from interest in food to ingredients?” Resting his chin in his hand, Nathan’s tease was light-hearted.  
  
“Maybe a little. I wouldn’t know where to start…”  
  
“But you can learn.” The Hero assured softly.  
  
“You’re…” Argente started off, only to have the conversation and his thoughts scatter when their waitress arrived, asking if they were ready to order. He remembered what he wanted at least, ordering the tea, the cookies and then the pasta, getting a little laugh from the woman who assured him that his priorities were straight. Nathan ordered peach white tea (whatever that was) with strawberry thumbprint cookies, and then decided to have the same pasta. Once they were promised that their orders would be out in a few minutes, the waitress walking away to check on another table, Argente really wasn’t sure that he wanted to continue what he’d been about to say.  
  
It didn’t seem like he was going to get away with it so easily, though. “You were saying?”  
  
Swallowing, he debated. “I was just… It wasn’t important.:  
  
“You don’t tend so say things unless they’re important.” Nathan prodded softly. Gently. “And at the risk of sounding self-centered… it did seem to be about _me_.”  
  
“Not really.” Argente corrected. Then thought better of it. “Well, I… kind of. I guess.”  
  
“Come on, sweetie. Big Sis isn’t going to get mad at you.”  
  
Worrying his bottom lip for a moment, the clone just considered. He was actually quite glad when they were interrupted with their tea and cookies, told that their pasta would be right out. It gave him time to breathe, room to think. After their waitress’ shoes had been silenced by distance, he finally answered quietly. “I just… wonder. If people are afraid.”  
  
Nathan hadn’t even thought of reaching for the cookies, those words a little more powerful than he’d anticipated. “Of what, sweetie?”  
  
“Of me.” Came the answer in a slightly trembling whisper, Argente’s gaze firmly on the table in front of him. He didn’t want to make a scene, didn’t want to ruin things, but the worry just kept growing, spreading. “If that’s why… anyone’s nice to me. Because they’re afraid.”  
  
“I’m not afraid of you.” The answer wasn’t _defiant_ , nor was it overly sugared with ease and unspoken reassurances. It was simply, easily honest. “I know Kurou isn’t, either. Or that cat, from the sound of it.”  
  
And still it was so hard to _accept_ , to just believe those words. “You’ve been… so _good_ to me, to both of us, I just… _why_? If you’re not afraid of us and you don’t want anything, then… I don’t…”  
  
“Oh honey. People _can_ just want to help, you know. You’ve met Tiger.” If _anyone_ qualified as an example…  
  
“Y-yeah, but…” _He’s weird_ , Argente had wanted to protest. The words just didn’t quite mange to form.  
  
“I just see… someone who needs a big sister, alright?” Nathan tried his best to answer. “I know you have Kurou, and he’s very important to have. But you need someone with connections, too, someone to take you out and show you that there’s more to living than being locked up somewhere.” That wasn’t really _fair_ and he knew it, but there were so many complications in the clone’s life that something needed to be simplified. “And, maybe… I see a little of myself in the two of you.”  
  
It seemed to take a long time to get his mouth to work again, to express his thoughts. “I don’t really… understand that.”  
  
“Mm. I’m not sure that I do, either.” One perfectly manicured nail tapped at painted lips as he thought. Considering all he knew about Argente’s situation (and even if the _details_ weren’t immediately apparent, the lasting effects of them were), it seemed alright to offer a bit of himself. Maybe it would do some _good_ in the long run. “There was… a time when I was very angry. At everything. Everyone, myself.” Nathan admitted softly. “Why did I have to be different? Why didn’t I feel right the way I was supposed to be, the way I was raised? I was angry at the world for wanting me to change. So angry that I just… stopped feeling anything for a little while.”  
  
Argente hadn’t expected anything like that confession. It felt almost too personal, too deep. “O-oh. I’m— Oh. I…”  
  
“Don’t say you’re sorry.” Nathan’s smile was honest, if small. “You shouldn’t be. I don’t even want to think about a place that had you and Kurou feeling so sorry about everything all the time.”  
  
“I don’t really want to think about it either.” The admission was quiet, small.  
  
And maybe something, somewhere, showed a touch of mercy when their steaming plates of pasta came, covered in fresh vegetables, herbs and olives. “Enjoy.” Their waitress gave a little bow and a smile before walking away again.  
  
The sight and the mouth-watering smell of the food was honestly enough to brighten the mood. Argente smiled sheepishly as he picked up his fork. “You’ve, you know. You’re… whatever happened, you’re amazing now.” He had to admit, stumbling over his words just a bit.  
  
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Oh do tell.”  
  
Snorting, the clone picked through the vegetables from sheer curiosity. “You’re… you know who you are. You never… have to worry about your words, and you’ve… You’re _confident_ and… you’re not afraid.”  
  
“We all have a few fears, sweetie.” Not that he was in any rush to elaborate. “I’m afraid it usually takes a lot of time and experience to reach that point, no matter who you are. But you’ll make it.”  
  
Argente very slowly loaded some of that pasta onto his fork before responding. “Think so?”  
  
“There’s not a doubt in my mind.” Nathan would be willing to admit that there were still steps to take before the clone became more confident, but the first steps were already taken.  
  
“Not just because… I look like _him_?” He’d tried not to sound overly bitter, but old wounds…  
  
“Of course not, sweetie.” Nathan quite casually took a bite of his food, enjoying it. And of course, like a lady, he swallowed and dabbed at his mouth before continuing. “You look a lot like Handsome… but you’re _not_ him.”  
  
Well that was amusing. “‘Handsome’?”  
  
With a little grin, he mixed more of the vegetables into the pasta. “Don’t tell me that you don’t know why the nickname stuck.”  
  
Even as Argente smiled, turning his attention more to the food, he admitted, “I always knew I could… never be him…”  
  
“Well I don’t see why you’d want to.” There was a little deliberate misunderstanding there, Nathan once again taking a bite, chewing, swallowing, and wiping his mouth. “You’re just as attractive in your own way.”  
  
“You don’t have to lie to me.” And even if there was still an underlying uncertainty, the words were most definitely teasing.  
  
“A lady never lies!” The Hero protested. “She chooses when to elaborate, but she _never_ lies. Now you can either apologize and we can eat our food, or you can let me touch that tight little—”  
  
“I’m sorry, Big Sis.” Argente offered almost innocently.  
  
Nathan sighed. “Damn.”


End file.
